The politics of fairylore in early modern English literature (Innovative fairy poetry and the literary politicizing of cultural ambivalence towards the elite in Stuart society)

This essay argues that Stuart fairy poetry, rooted in Shakespeare's innovat ive representation of tiny, consumeristic fairies, attempts to indigenize n ew forms of elite material display. Rather than the fairies of popular trad ition or courtly mythography, Stuart poets depict miniaturized Mabs and Obe rons who are notable for their wardrobes, banquets, coaches, and the decor of their palaces. The fairy poetry of William Browne, Michael Drayton, and Robert Herrick must be interpreted not as playful escapism, but as a self-c onsciously politicized literary mode which reveals these writers' deep ambi valence toward elite culture - and toward their own artistic role within th at culture.